West Michigan School Bus Driver with Big Personality Goes Viral on TikTok

A West Michigan school bus driver is going viral on TikTok for all the right reasons. Even if you don't have a kid in school, this video will surely tug at your heartstrings.

Lori Brooks is a school bus driver for Grandville Public Schools in Grandville, MI, located in Kent County and a suburb of Grand Rapids. In the video, Brooks welcomes each student back on their first day of school. She knows them all by name and gives them a hug. She asks the kids if they had a good summer and tells them that she missed them.

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It's no wonder that the kids describe her as 'The Best Bus Driver Ever.' They also refer to her as 'Miss Sparkles' because she wears sparkly jewelry. I also think that it's her upbeat attitude and joy to see each kid that makes her 'sparkle' too. She also remembers the names of the students' siblings which adds another layer of care for the 'future bus riders' to look forward to riding the bus.

Brooks told Wood TV that she hopes she can 'be that calm, safe zone for them to tell her [the] good or bad,' which is so important for kids to have as many 'safe' adults as possible that they can go to in life.

It takes a lot to be a school bus driver and to be responsible for so many kids getting to and from school safely. I think bus drivers also play an important role in setting the tone for a student's beginning and end of their school day.

As a parent myself to a child who rides the bus, it's so awesome to see someone take so much pride in not only what she does for a living, but the care of my kid and other kids as well. And also as a kid who once rode the bus, I know I would have definitely looked forward to seeing a 'Miss Sparkles' pick me up in the morning and afternoon.